Skills for Life & Work — Online Courses
Discover online courses in ESOL, English, Maths, and Digital Skills. Free courses are available for eligible students.
9 courses available
Develop your writing and language skills (level 1-level 2)Have you been learning English for years but feel stuck with your writing? Are you a confident speaker who struggles with formal communication? This course will release you! This course is designed to help you break through those barriers. You’ll focus on improving the structure of your writing - from full texts to paragraphs and sentences - while deepening your understanding of grammar. The skills you develop will also support more formal speaking tasks, such as job interviews, workplace meetings, and presentations. Ideal for those who feel comfortable speaking English but want to build confidence in their writing and formal communication.
You can join the course during terms 1 and 3.
You need to do a short test before joining.
Contact: universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk or call 0204 582 0423
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Online
Tue 15 Sep 2026Full fee £195.00 Senior fee £195.00 Concession £137.00- Maths for life and work (level 1)
Do you want to prepare for Functional Skills Level 2 maths? Do you need to improve your maths to become more confident in problem-solving, analysing and making decisions at work and in your personal life? This course will help you with all of the above and make maths come alive. You will see how mathematics is everywhere and you will develop the maths you need to participate, make progress and express yourself in today's society. You will work on tasks which require you to use whole numbers and decimals, fractions and percentages and recognise the relationships between them. You will work on solving problem involving time, money and measurements, as well learn how to measure confidently and convert between units of measurement. You will be able to state properties of shapes, both 2D and 3D and be better able to interpret, discuss and comment on the graphs, charts and tables you see in newspapers, on the internet and at work.
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Online
Fri 18 Sep 2026 (and 2 other dates)Full fee £267.00 - English pronunciation: stage 1Are you a non-native fluent speaker who wants to improve your pronunciation of English and to speak the language more clearly and confidently? Work on clear formation of vowel and consonant sounds including the English neutral vowel and the distinction between voiced and unvoiced sounds. This term the course will be taught online.
Online
Tue 22 Sep 2026 (and 2 other dates)Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £299.00 Concession £209.00 - Grammar in practice: upper intermediate (level 1-2)Unsure when to use present perfect or past perfect? Is reported speech still causing you problems? Do you need to practise your conditionals? Join this course and put your grammar into practice in speaking, writing, reading and listening. Gain confidence in using grammar effectively through high level and engaging tasks
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Online
Wed 23 Sep 2026 (and 2 other dates)Full fee £298.00 Senior fee £238.00 Concession £149.00 - English pronunciation: stage 2
Designed for people who have completed ‘English Pronunciation: stage 1’ although new students with sufficient skills can join. Develop confidence and clarity, explore diphthongs and triphthongs, inflection and the rhythms of Standard English. This term the course will be taught online
Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £299.00 Concession £209.00 - Grammar in practice: advanced (level 2+)
Is your grammar holding you back? Enhance your communication skills by exploring, analysing, and experimenting with advanced English grammar. This course will help you understand that grammar is not just about rules-it's about meaning. You'll learn to interpret others more accurately and express yourself more clearly and effectively.
This course runs during terms 1 and 3.
You need to do a short test before joining. Contact: universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk or call 0204 582 0423
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Online
Tue 6 Oct 2026Full fee £195.00 Senior fee £156.00 Concession £98.00 - Communication Skills for Life and Work (ESOL Entry 3 - Level 1)
Are you quite confident about your everyday English? Can you go shopping, talk about simple subjects, and write emails or letters - but still make some mistakes? Do you find it hard to speak, read, or write about more difficult subjects?
This pre-intermediate course will help you improve your speaking, listening, reading, and writing. You will learn to understand people more easily, talk about most daily topics with more than one person, read short, simple texts like emails and news stories and write different types of sentences and check your own work effectively.
You can join the course during terms 1,2 or 3. You need to do a short test before joining. Contact: universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk or call 0204 582 0423
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Online
Sat 24 Oct 2026 (and 1 other date)Full fee £298.00 Senior fee £298.00 Concession £209.00 - ESOL: Develop your writing: grammar, vocabulary, expression (advanced)
Do you already write well in English but want to take your skills to a level suitable for professional or academic work? Are you looking to develop your expressive range and make your writing more impactful? This course will help you refine your writing by focusing on meaning, precision, and style-going beyond accuracy to explore how language choices shape your message and influence your reader.
You will learn how grammar can be used creatively to express different shades of meaning, expand your vocabulary to say more with fewer words, and develop strategies to make your writing more persuasive, engaging, and memorable.
You may join this course during term 2.
A pre-course assessment is required before enrolment.
Contact: universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk or call 0204 582 0423
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Online
Wed 20 Jan 2027Full fee £195.00 Senior fee £195.00 Concession £137.00 - English for professionals: C2 Proficiency (Cambridge English: Proficiency, CPE )
Are you a professional aiming to refine your English to the highest level? Are you undertaking postgraduate studies or completing a PhD and need to communicate with precision and sophistication?
The Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) qualification demonstrates to employers, academic institutions, and peers that you have achieved an exceptional command of English. It is the ultimate proof that you can communicate with the fluency, accuracy, and nuance of a highly competent native-level speaker, enabling you to work or study at the most demanding levels.
This course develops advanced skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, while equipping you with the strategies and confidence needed to succeed in the CPE exam.
You can join this course during term 2.
A pre-course assessment is required before enrolment.
Contact: universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk or call 0204 582 0423
Online
Thu 21 Jan 2027Full fee £308.00 Senior fee £308.00 Concession £308.00
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